1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus configured to perform a plurality of steps sequentially and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As one of processes included in a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device such as an integrated circuit (IC) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM), there is a substrate processing process which includes sequential steps such as: a step of loading a substrate into a process furnace; a step of increasing the inside temperature of the process furnace to a film-forming temperature; a step of processing the substrate by supplying process gas to the inside of the process furnace; a step of decreasing the inside temperature of the process furnace to a standby temperature; and a step of unloading the processed substrate from the inside of the process furnace.
Such a substrate processing process is performed using a substrate processing apparatus including: a process system including a process furnace configured to process a substrate; a manipulation unit configured to receive instructions input to the process system and display substrate processing states on a manipulation screen; and a control unit configured to control the process system to perform a plurality of steps sequentially.
When a substrate processing process is performed, due to defects or malfunctioning of a substrate processing apparatus, steps of the substrate processing process can be delayed. However, in case of a conventional substrate processing apparatus, it is difficult to enable an operator to perceive a delay of a process step promptly, and thus it may take considerable time to take necessary action such as a recovery action (error handling action). As a result, for example, a substrate may be accidentally left in a high-temperature process furnace for a long time, and thus the substrate may be thermally damaged (causing lot-out).